


I'll Show You The Wonders Of The World

by EmerialynCodeVenice



Series: Djinn Dirk AU [9]
Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: Agoraphobia/Fear of People, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Codependency, Dirk Is Jake's Treasure, Djinn Dirk Oneshot Series, M/M, Recovering/Traumatized Dirk, Repressed Feelings, Thank GOODNESS They're Finally Going Somewhere, i like trains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 07:37:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13430007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmerialynCodeVenice/pseuds/EmerialynCodeVenice
Summary: Dirk has his passport and is finally okay to be around people. So… it’s time to leave. Is it the beginning of a new adventure? Or the beginning of the end?AKA: IT’S FINALLY TIME FOR THEM TO TRAVEL!!!!





	I'll Show You The Wonders Of The World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Magical_Awesome_Kid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magical_Awesome_Kid/gifts).



> Hello again! I can’t say how RELIEVED I am to finally be to this one! It's short and seemed to take FOREVER to write/get to, but, finally, it’s HERE! The necessary Segway for Dirk and Jake to finally start traveling the world!!!
> 
> Also! Kudos to Magical_Awesome_Kid! This is dedicated to them because they were the one who first suggested using Train to travel around given that it’s a quick and private way that Dirk can slowly acclimate to society. I obviously loved it and, thus, it made for a perfect bookend for This Section of the Dirk Djinn AU Series! 
> 
> Please Enjoy and Comment!

                                                                                           

Your eyes flickered around even as Jake’s hand squeezes yours, likely sensing your anxiety as you both walk, ramrod straight (or, maybe that was just you), through the small village that, technically, had been your home for the last month. You had been fine during the times when Jake left you in the very outskirts of the village to shop, had been the innkeeper had come by and said goodbye, had been fine even when knowing that _this_ had been coming…

 

_You would not freak out, you would not freak out, you would not--_

 

You swallow, sweat brought on from more than the hot sun burning down on you sliding down the side of your face. There was a lot of people, but you knew they didn’t mean you harm-- _or, did they? Did they know that the bundle of papers that supposedly gave you an ‘identity’ was still waiting in another place far from here? Would they take you away from Jake? Would they--_ and that you would be _just fine_.

 

“You’re doing great, cricket,” says Jake, squeezing your hand once more as he slides you to the right of a gaggle of gossiping women. “Just a bit further, then it’ll just be you and me until we get to the city and the train.”

 

You swallow and nod, guilt eating at your insides. Guilt at the fact that Jake had to deal with your irrational fear but also guilt at the fact that instead of taking a ‘bus,’ or whatever the metal contraption was, the two of you would be walking through various small villages like this until reaching a bigger city that apparently had ‘private trains’ that would allow you to travel around at ease.

 

Jake had said before that he enjoyed traveling around on foot-- _and you almost believed him given that he somehow found the Cavern of Hearts in the middle of nowhere--_ and that it was far more of an adventure as a result, but still… you knew that he had changed his original plans-- _original? Try **all** ; there was no way he could have suspected finding you and it messing up all his plans--_for your sake.

 

So, even though you felt beyond paranoid as people passed you by, you ignored it, refusing to ruin this for Jake after making him delay his plans for so long. You firmly step along the path, forcing your legs forward as you resist the urge to cringe away from every person who accidentally brushes against you. Jake blocks the majority of people from getting near you with his body, but even he can not block them all.

 

Of course, that was also your fault. He had offered to avoid going through the village altogether, or to even go through it at the dead of night, but _you_ had insisted upon it. You knew that you would have to interact with others sooner or later-- _the internet definitely made you aware of the fact that there were a LOT of people in all the places that Jake talked about… and you were not going to let your fears stop him from visiting them--_ and knew that this was a ‘good’ start. Besides, as long as Jake was with you, you knew you would be fine.

 

But, before you know it, you’re passing the last home on the outskirts of the village--people apparently being rather absent for the last few minutes. You blink, recognizing this fact-- _had you zoned out? Had you inconvenienced Jake?--_ and forcing your breathing to return to normal. Calmness returns to you with every step you take, the ground firm beneath your feet and Jake’s hand warm in your grasp.

 

He squeezes your hand, obviously proud. “See, Treasure? I knew you could do it. We’re home free from here on out. Ready to see the wonders of the world?”

 

Jake gives you a toothy grin, warming you on the inside. How could you ever be nervous when he— _your protector, your savior, your **everything** —_was there to guide you?  

 

You nod, smiling brighter than you can remember. “Ready.”

 

He seems startled for a moment, staring for a moment before a warm smile forms on his face and he nods, squeezing your hand as he turns to face the road up ahead.

 

o0o0o

 

It’s takes two weeks of traveling through various small villages before you stop flinching when other people are around. You still haven’t had a proper conversation with another person, Jake always acting as your protective buffer, but you were glad that you weren’t liable to freak out like you had that one time while alone.

Your new calmness comes not a moment too soon as you enter what you know to be one of the biggest places you’ve seen yet, full of a lot more technology and metal and alarming sounds than any of the smaller villages you’ve been passing through. It immediately sets your nerves on fire, alarming you for completely new reasons.

 

Jake makes sure not to leave you alone for _any reason_ while here, seeming more on edge himself. He said the area was perfectly safe-- _you can’t remember what he had called this place, his voice becoming lost in the sound and you felt too embarrassed to ask again--_ but that, in bigger areas like this, it was more likely for one to run into trouble. He brushes you off when you ask what kind of trouble, saying that he’d tell you later. _You’re not sure how you feel about that. If there was trouble, you didn’t want to hold down Jake in any way._

 

It was there that you and Jake had to pick up your ‘identification papers’ that tipsyGnostalgic had sent you. It was odd, seeing your picture on paper-- _you’re not sure why, it just was--_ but you were unable to look at it long as Jake quickly takes you from the ‘mail office’ which was _filled_ with people--some not very friendly.

 

From there, it was Jake asking various people for directions to the ‘ _Maharaja Train’_ and walking around through busy streets full of small vehicles, people, trash, and dust. It took most of the day-- _during of which that Jake had made you eat and drink water repeatedly; something you were grateful for, feeling more exhausted surrounded by all these people than a day of hiking through the wilderness--_ but you _finally_ reached your destination.

 

Your destination, apparently, was a long, concrete path with some sort of long, shiny red vehicle-- _train, it was called a train--_ besides it with the words _Maharaja Express_ painted in bright yellow letters on it. There were a lot of people here too, but the majority of them were already boarding the train.

 

“C’mon, Dirk,” says Jake, also sounding a bit weary from the day of travel. “Let’s get on. I believe that our carriage is one of the farthest to the back, so we’re less likely to be disturbed.”

 

He takes your hand-- _though, you couldn’t really recall him letting it go any time today--_ and brings you in a wide loop around the passengers before helping you into one of the back ‘cars’ of the train. It’s surreal, stepping inside-- _it reminded you of when you had first seen the interior of the wooden lodge--_ and you gawk at the luxurious-- _at least you assume the right word is ‘luxurious.’ You knew luxury, given that you had been a spirit guarding treasure for thousands of years, and you were well aware of the value of everything in this place--_ interior before moving further in to allow Jake room with your bags.

 

You walk down a narrow hallway, Jake only stopping to ask a woman in a uniform you’ve seen on others around here for directions, before entering a small room with a large, wooden door. It’s simple and small, like your room at the lodge, with a large bed, wooden table, and another room leading to what you assume was the bathroom. There were also two large windows on the wall, giving you a clear view of the city outside of it.

 

“Finally! Thought we’d never make it!” Jake, obviously exhausted, set down your backpacks by the door and sat on the bed, breathing out a loud sigh of relief. You look at him worriedly. He notices your look and waves a hand. “Ah, don’t mind me, chickpea, just exaggerating. But it’s certainly been a busy day, hasn’t it?”

 

You nod, agreeing before subtly sitting in the chair at the desk beside the bed, looking around in interest. “How… long are we on this?”

 

Jake smiles warmly. “Well, Treasure, we can technically get off at any stop we want, but my plan is for us to visit most, if not all, of the 24 various stops that the Maharaja Express goes through and honestly just wing it from there. But it’s whatever you’re comfortable with, chickadee.”

 

It hits you, right then, that this is actually happening. It had somehow been different when traveling in the wilderness or at the lodge, but you realize that Jake fully intends to take you along as he travels the world. It was… incredible. You know for certain that you never did anything to deserve something like this, but you’re careful not to voice it out loud.

 

“Whatever you want,” you say honestly. “As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.”

 

Jake’s face reddens and you see him visibly swallow-- _you’re worried. Does he need water?--_ before chuckling. “You always know what to say, don’t you Treasure?”

 

Before you can answer, or at least attempt to answer, you feel something beneath you _LURCH._

 

You stumble, gripping the handles of the chair as Jake reaches out to steady you, looking around at the interior of the room. “Hmm, made it right on time, didn’t we? Well, I suppose we’re locked in for this ride!”

 

He suddenly grins before gently nudging you to turn around. “Hey, Dirk, look out the window.”

 

Your brows furrow in confusion but you turn around, eyes widening as you see the outside start to _move_. Or, no, was it the train moving? Was that what that _lurch_ before was?

 

Your breath catches as the city outside of the window begin to move more rapidly, moving at a pace your eyes can follow before steadily passing before you can accurately make out any of the details properly.

 

It takes a surprisingly small amount of time before the city changes to wide plains of grass and rivers and, you realize suddenly, that you must already be out of the city! It had taken you and Jake all day to go through the city to the train, and you were already out? How fast did this thing go…?

 

A _yawn_ interrupts your thought processes. It takes a moment for you to realize that it was yours and you feel your face redden-- _a sensation you realize to mean ‘embarrassment’ which had been ‘embarrassing’ in general when you realized you had been feeling it a lot ever since meeting Jake._

 

Jake chuckles behind you, gently grasping your shoulder and pulling you towards the bed. You don’t struggle-- _why would you? You’d never deny Jake anything even if what was happening outside the window was fascinating—_ and, when you hit the pillow, fall asleep to the sound of the wheels on the track... 

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, Dirk, how long were you looking out that window? Well, it’s official, they’re finally TRAVELING. Oh my goodness, it seemed to take FOREVER for it to happen, but it finally did! They got their passports and Dirk is somewhat used to people, so, from here on out, it’ll be random one-shots of them traveling across the globe. 
> 
> Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH to Magical_Awesome_Kid for the idea about trains for Dirk to travel (lol, they were originally just going to be walking everywhere—not that they won’t be, but now they can hit all the fun places much quicker!). 
> 
> I really appreciate all the support. Please Subscribe to the series as a whole to give immediate updates. There will DEFINITELY be some important one-shots to come (like Dirk having his first Nightmare of the Past as well as Dirk/Jake first sleeping together in a… less than platonic way) but, due to this landmark, I can finally start working on the actual sequel series. Not sure when the First Chapter of These Golden Walls That Divide Us will be up, or if I will post a few more one-shots first, but it’s ACTUALLY in production now. 
> 
> Also, be warned, the Sequel is set 22 months after this and… let me say. A LOT of things CHANGE from here to there. Dirk, himself, will be VERY changed--a lot closer to his canon self and… gasp… SEPERATED FROM JAKE!? Blasphemy! 
> 
> Look forward to the Sequel if you’re curious about all that and please read the one-shots to be posted in-between! Please leave a Comment or Kudos if you’re enjoying!


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